On 11th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(From June 11th until June 14 th of 1992)
Interview with Dr. Kazem Moosavi-Zadeh, Director of Environment
in Green Party of Iran
Interviewer,Mr. Arash Shams: Dr. Moosavi-Zadeh,
please make explanations in regard to the ecological significance
of Iran

Dr. Moosavi-Zadeh: I deeply express my gratitude for the opportunity
you have granted me to discuss and ponder about the Ecological
Predicament of Iran under the Islamic Republic regime,
and search for a discreet solution. Especially whence this
conversation’s timing concurs with the 11th anniversary
of the International Environmental and World Countries’ Development
Conference that was held in Brazil’s Rio in June 1992.
A conference held correlated with the most important subject
in regard to the fate of humankind in the world in addition
to the destiny of all other living being which in regard to,
Iran is linked. International societies are still apprehensive
worldwide about relentlessly polluted air, ruptures in the Ozone
Layer, acuteness of Global Warming, the planet earth’s
heating up and gradual melt of the ice piles and mountains in
the North pole, decline of the diversity in nature and the evident
severe consequential changes in ecological units; also the troubles
of supplying lives of the growing population and acute worldwide
matters, intensification of war, terrorism, achievement and
accumulation of mass destructive weapons are the jeopardizing
and dreadful environmental factors involved. We are observant
that the conditions and dynamic effects of eco-destruction and
exhaustion of our natural resources and assets of our country
by the Islamic Republic regime has no national or geographical
borderline, and in any case its resultant shall worsen the indicated
environmental problems in the regional neighboring countries
and on the level of the whole world.

But the vitality of your question relies on
the true realm that since the last decades of the late precedent
century (20th), the globalization of economy and
capitalism has been in an extremely accelerated pace. Many
countries have very limited access minerals and raw materials
that are necessitated for industry and production and their
financial might and technological level, so mining and benefiting
for them is literally out of their reach. As a result, nations
with high potential of wealth due to the natural supplies and
mines and also in respect to quantity and quality of human resources
and cultural angle, are all under the main focus of the changes
that are occurring within economical policies and industries
of capitalism, that is dependent on higher pace of production,
more consumerism and reckless abuse of the natural resources.
Therefore we can envision that in the present century, the scale
for higher strength and capacity shall be based on the environmental
and ecological might as the core foundation of industrial and
agricultural growth of the countries. Well then you wonder
what the ecological importance of Iran may be. I can sum up
by saying that on the imperative geopolitical and geographical
conditions of Iran, in addition to the substantial size she
has makes her function as the gate between the states near Caspian
Sea, (known as Khazar or Mazandaran Sea in Farsi), Persian Gulf
and the Middle East as a whole. Since Iran is placed on the
Palear ketik climate and its geological conditions, that has
granted it variety of geographical fields of plants and animals
and enriched assets of carbohydrate resources and a variety
of mineral riches and potential elements that puts it in a high
place in comparison with countries around the world and so forth.
Also, there is the possibility of finding more mineral resources
in the future of oil and natural gas. Hereby, I can list a
group of natural resources exist:

400 billion cubic meters of Surface Water from
down pouring rain,

97 billion cubic meters of water in rivers
and surface currents,

18.5 million hectares agricultural lands (i.e.
1 hectare = 10 000 m2), 19 million hectares forests
and groves, 90million hectares of pastures, 8 million hectares
national part and conserved areas, fishing industry and its
yearly product over 300 thousands of tons per year plus 35 million
cubic meters of underground waters and mesh.

For example if we want to consider the financial
value of Iranian natural riches, having 8 million hectares of
a wide variety of earth pieces known as Forest Parks, Mountain
and Forest conversation pieces, precious heritage of lagoonsand national parks and conserved areas for wild life and
endangered species and also lakes, ocean, rivers, etc. plus
tourism industry on the national region and on the world scale
have significant potentials in themes of growth and principled
and scientific development. At this juncture we are not talking
about the numbers, geographical positions, general and particular
conditions of various mines in Iran, since those matters are
out of the boundary of this discussion. But in general, in
terms of Mineral varieties Iran is amongst the exceptional countries
that have a very wide variety worldwide.

According to the official statistics released
by National Oil Company of Iran on the year 1989, excluding
the new or undiscovered field, the whole quantity of Iranian
Oil reserves were about 93 billion barrels. Based on the estimation
of the international centers and Oil Index Journal on
the year 1991, if the level of Iran’s production remains under
3 million barrels per day continuously, Iran’s oil production
shall be carried on for 90 years. The latest international
statistics presented in the magazine Oil, Gas Economist
illustrates that the raw oil of Iran’s reserve exceeds 12263
million tons. With exporting 159 million tons per year, Iran
is the second oil exporting country, and the fourth on the international
scale. Additionally the reserved source of retrievable natural
gas and the liquid gas of Iran have been estimated to be

around 700 trillion cubic feet. Therefore
the rich potential natural

gas of Iran presents the resource of energy
for better technologies which shall be much more important than
her oil potentials. The minister of oil in the Mullah’s regime
Bijan Namdar Zangeneh had expressed the following for French
New Agency on the date February 6th 2002: ”Currently
Iran has 26.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas. In having
natural gas stock, after Russia, Iran is the second country
in the world that possesses 17% of the world’s reserve.” According
to his statement half of Iran’s gas is on the soil part and
still the chance of many more reserve minerals and riches exist
in countries widely spread earth. Based on the official statistics
released in the year 1993, the number of 1228 non-metallic active
mines exists on the countrywide scale. Amongst them, the grand
reserve of stones that construct and decorative buildings, marble
stones, pebbles and sands, gypsum, cement, nutritional salt,
etc. are notable in various areas of the country.

Iran possesses a very high rank worldwide for
possessing massive metal mines such as iron, cast iron, copper,
aluminum, zinc, chromites, manganese, molybdenum, uranium, silver,
gold, platinum, nickel, tin, mercury, bauxite, tungsten, titanium,
cadmium, antimony, etc. For example in regard to having copper
reserves, Iran is placed on the Copper Belt of the world. The
sole established quantity of copper in Sarcheshmeh/ Kerman’s
mine (that is one of the largest places of copper on the planet
earth) is estimated to be over 1 billion and two hundred million
tons. In regards to the lead reserves, Sorb-e-Angooran in Zanjan
province is considering one of the largest lead reserves in
the Middle East.

Perhaps it is necessitated to indicate that
existence of the mines and hydrocarbon (fossil fuel) supply
are the conditions and means that for Iran’s industrialization.
Those conditions that their parallel line can assure and guarantee
growth, development and advancement and other segments of agriculture,
Service Businesses and construction of the nation.

Arash Shams: Mr. Moosavi-Zadeh, you have written
substantial number of articles in regard to the damage and destruction
imposed to Iranian ecology under this regime. Please illustrate
that for us.

Dr. Moosavi-Zadeh: Base upon the statistic
that are presented by the regime’s own media, during the last
24 years of the clergies’ theocracy ruling Iran has wasted the
uppermost level of ecological, mineral and human resources in
the world. Since these are the data of regime’s own media and
officials, naturally real numbers must be more than those released.
Let us look into some of those. At the early times when Khomeini
came into power, according to the 1979’s United Nation’s report
our country were considered one of the richest ones due to the
existing potentials of natural mineral resources; also she Iran
were the sixth country in the world in terms of having a prospective
on agricultural because of having potent soil. At any rate
by rational principled management of natural resources stocks,
competence for copper and iron were estimated over 200 years
and 120 years would go for coal, oil and natural gas. Furthermore
Iran has one of the greatest records of suffering brain draining
among professionals, cultural and college field. London’s Keyhan,
one of the papers that is printed abroad had quoted an Economist
expert of Tehran University who had called attention to the
fact that the usage of natural gas and oil as the means of economical
resource for Iran’s single item for exportation shall not exceed
more than 20 other years. Why? Let me quote directly the director
of Islamic parliament (Majlis)’ Financial Commission whom on
the date August 24th of 1993 had plainly said to
the regime’s Keyhan newspaper that I exactly go over hereby:
“Whilst the Ministry of Oil daily extracts 3 million
barrels of oil, still it does not inject gas to the wells.
Thus great amount gets wasted and for the future it shall be
useless and inaccessible.

The French magazine Loboen on December, 3 1999
had written: over 40 to 45 percent of non-oil economy, including
64 mines of raw materials and non-minerals and best lands and
agricultural products of Iran are solely under the authority
of “Boniad Mostazafan and Jon-bazaan” (Deprived and Combatants’
Foundation). This institution is the largest economical business
within the Middle Eastern.

It possesses 100s of nutritional materials,
construction and petro-chemistry (Petroleum-Chemistry), 2786
properties and large building, 320 airplane businesses and sea
squadrons, 90 cinemas, 250 credit and banking institutions and
numerous magazine and newspaper publication companies. The
major segment of mining would go for silver, gold, plutonium,
antiques and jewelry that are unique and one of all worldwide;
plus complexes of: agriculture, industry, handcraft, carpets
and thousands of cultivation terrains and most fruitful fruit
gardens and great quality pistachios that are considered one
of the largest economical set of facilities in the world; that
is all in hands of “Boniad Mostazafan” under Mohsen Rafighdoost[1], and Rafsanjani[2] clan’s administration; and until now not a single audit has been
presented by them. Figuro Economic paper had estimated their
financial income over 3.5 billion dollars per year as of December
21st 2000.

I’ll read you hereby from the Etelaat Newspaper
dated as of October 7th of 1995:

Soil’s erosion (wearing out) goes around 4
billion tons per year, in addition to obliteration of the most
fertile agricultural land pieces of the country that causes
wasting away over 30400 billion Rials (3040 billion Toman[3]) of
nutritional substances and dormant productivity of soil of the
country. On the 1992’s financial report of the Islamic Republic
in regard to the country’s environment we read as the following:

In the previous year over 80% of the conserved
areas and 50% of the wildlife preservation have lost their ecological
qualities. Between 50 to 80 percent of the wildlife headcount
have terminated and the number of the endangered species are
escalating. Hamshahri Paper’s environmental seasonal special
issues, number 2 of the 4th volume dated as of August
8th 1999 it has been inscribed that: in the past
15 thousands of wildlife’s variety existed that has reached
the number of 150 types. 25% of mammals and 11% of birds are
near complete extinction and the generations of Iranian jaguarand Lions are already almost thoroughly abolished. One
of the vital causes of the indicated matter is that within the
previous years 500,000 hunting guns have been granted to the
huntsmen and related responsible individuals. On Sept 28th
2000, the head of preservations of Iranian rivers Hussein Serajzadeh
told the Iranian news service that: 7 of international rivers
in Iran have dried up due to the accumulation of garbage, irrational
consumption of the animal and plant resources. Hamshahri wrote
in August 5th 1999 that: “Due to the fact that the
industrial units’ waste enter into the Anzali River, yearly
between 40 to 50 millions little fish are worn out, demised.

Regrettably we suffer both from pollution and
shortage of water.

As printed in Resalat paper dated as of September
18th 1995, assistant of the Jihad Department’s Educational
Research Ali Amanpoor, has said that 50 billion cubic meters
of valuable water, having rain as one of the resources are depleted.
The Energy Department’s vice-minister stated also had reported
similarly to the Keyhan paper in 70’s Ordibehesht that: “70
percent of the surface and underground resources of the country
are under various biological, chemical and other format of pollution.
”Mazandaran (Caspian) Sea is a great sewerage whence hospital
and other sorts of litter are deposited in the sea”. (Houshang
Shirodi, Tonekabon City’s Hospital, quoted at the Thursday’s
Weekly dated as of March 13th 1997)

Keyhan had quoted Rasul Zargar from the Water
Organization’s Management, under Mullah Khatami’s administration
saying: “Only act of kindness and goodwill of the lord can
end up Iran’s water shortage problems.”

I read from the Hamshahri newspaper dated as
of October 8th 1995 that: “due to the destructive
phenomena of the desert expansion and demolition of agricultural
lands has caused the evacuation of 80 percent of the village
such as the ones on the border region of desert(s) and other
areas. A Forest Affair’s specialist had said such in the Salaam
newspaper, dated as of January 14th 1997 that: “During
the recent years forest trees have been razed out and given
to the individual figures, institutions and governmental organizations.
Other means of Forest destruction include; quickly built structures
governmental or state related within the forest areas, in addition
to the fires that occur due to Military Maneuvers that are performed
within the Jungle’s arenas. In
this regard a senior expert has granted shocking statistics
to the Hamshahri paper as of September 22nd 2000
that reads: within last 20 years the total of forests in Iran
has decreased substantially: In 56 existed 18 million hectares
of Iranian Forests that has declined to 12 million hectares
in 78. Well, such examples and facts and news are only a corner
of the disturbing and fragile conditions of the environment
in ecological terms and part of the wide range of devastative
and irreversible harms occurring in our country under the Mullah
Regime. There are too many such examples available.

Salaam had written as of August 13th
1998 that: “According to the evaluation made by Iranian economy
experts, if the rich resources and natural capital are used
steadily and population control is kept on a constant level,
yearly gross national income per capita will be 30,000 dollars”,
said whilst average income of people under the Clergies theocracy
comes down to around yearly to $500 per head, which puts us
on the scale of the world economically poor countries. For
evaluation of the indicated professional economist it is needed
to mention that in the year 1987, the average income of the
people of rich countries of the world were such as, $18,530
in the U.S.A, $1,4430 in Germany and over $21,330 in Swiss.
With what has been said, we can conclude that considering the
ecologically vital conditions and configuration in Iran, if
there were a modern developing national democratic order instead
of the Islamic Republic regime, undoubtedly if not blend into
the first rank rich countries of the world, still our country
would be on the peak of turning into one of the most important
and rich countries of the world. Also we should say that if
we accept the scientific perspective and ecological factors,
hence the humans of our nation is in an inseparable interaction
with the nature of environment and therefore, quantity and quality
of the setting and conditions of Iranian rich resources has
played an imperative connection in the process of historical,
cultural and humane changes and transformation and so it shall
remain to be in the future.

[1] Used to be the head of the Passdaran – Guards of
Islamic Revolution

[2] Hashemi Rafsanjani, ex-president, who did steeling
and a lot of his policies that were allegedly liberal were similar
to Neo Liberalism, i.e. the policies competent with the current
desires of Neo Liberalism imposed upon third world countries
by privatizing national institution, etc.

[3] Each Toman equals to 10 Rials that are the officially
known money of Iran
for many years.